I presume that a comment regarding wet wading in the Neshaminy may be designed to counter balance the caution expressed regarding wet wading in streams that receive treated sewage because Neshaminy receives a lot. Meanwhile, I have wet waded the Schuylkill with some frequency below Reading, as have a number of my friends. there have been no ill-effects, but of course our baby-boomer childhoods allowed us to perhaps develop tough immune systems.

springer1 wrote:I remember about 2-3 years ago one of our members posted photos over a several month period about the flesh-eating infection he got in a brush scratch after wet wading. In the end he was left with a nice big scar.

Mine wasn't that bad but required hospital intravenous & overnight stay to break the fever ... also was about a brush scratch that I waded with. But I'm diabetic & maybe other people fight infections better than I do.

FFS for the eleventieth billion time, HE WAS WEARING WADERS WHEN HE GOT THE INFECTION!!!11!!!

I've fished some tailwaters that stay too cold for wet wading during summer.I was down the yough river one very hot day, and decided to take a swim in the lake above confluence before fishing. When I finished, I thought to myself, why get changed again, and put waders on - and decided to wet wade in my swimming trunks in the tailrace water below. With water temps in the low '50's, it was very refreshing at first. Later on in the evening though, as the sun went down, I got chilled to the bone so much, that my teeth were chattering - and I had to quit fishing before dark.

On one of my first trips to the bighorn river out west, I poked a hole in my waders one day, and had to dry them out and patch them. I needed to let the aqua seal dry fully over night, and had no waders to wear that evening. Decided to give wet wading a shot there, and also got very chilled towards dark

greenlander wrote:... it is also worth noting that what's growing in the filthy, anaerobic environment inside your waders is likely considerably more dangerous than what's floating in your typical trout stream.

Never wet wade. All of my fishing location require walk/hike through briars, poisan ivy, sharp rock, ticks, etc. Funny, as a kid I was your typical Tom Sawyer type - never wore shoes from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Never saw a swimming hole I didn't like, or a water snake I couldn't catch bare-handed!!!

I wet wade as soon as weather allows. I always wear wading shoes with studs, usually a pair of shorts that are old cut off work pants, no shirt and as little tackle as I can get by with. It is so much more comfortable and relaxing than having waders, a vest, a net to carrying around. However when it is cold out I don't mind waders and a vest.

springer1 wrote:I remember about 2-3 years ago one of our members posted photos over a several month period about the flesh-eating infection he got in a brush scratch after wet wading. In the end he was left with a nice big scar.

Mine wasn't that bad but required hospital intravenous & overnight stay to break the fever ... also was about a brush scratch that I waded with. But I'm diabetic & maybe other people fight infections better than I do.

FFS for the eleventieth billion time, HE WAS WEARING WADERS WHEN HE GOT THE INFECTION!!!11!!!

I apologize, I never meant to intentionally deceive people. I just don’t remember that part. I’m sorry I made that post.

Not a big deal and certainly no apology necessary. It is just surprising how many times that incident has been used here as an example of why you shouldn't wet wade, when in reality it is anything but.